Old Growth Red Maple Too Deep

[PinkFloydEffect]

...This is a re-thread to "Old Growth Red Maples (Please Help!)".

My image hosting firm went down making my previous thread full of broken links, also I am dealing with two trees here and having separate threads is easier to follow.

Here is the YouTube video link for the root flare/crown project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCskwgiVJgE​

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Attachments:
A- Trees leaf specimen.
B- Me & tree when discovered.
C- Close up of vines, back fill around trunk and over growth.
D- Far away whole shot after over growth removal.
E- Root work

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Attachments:
F- Air & water
G- After removal
H- Close up
I- Other side close up (weeks later)
J- Another side close up

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Attachments:
K- Trunk and root crown/flare shot (month later)
L- Early winter, no leaves, You can see the trees structure.
M- It has been thought of this might be a water drainage hole and not slime or fluxing. Draining water from the cavity's in the lower trunk possibly.
N- Close up

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Expanding Foam?

So I was approached with an idea on filling cavity's with expanding spray foam with having no negative long term affects on the trees vascular system.

However I'm talking about a huge cavity, not a pruning wound. I attached some images its the TOP cavity indicated with the red arrow. The cavity dose not reach the heart wood I do not think. However if you look at the first few photos attached to this thread you will notice the cavity I am referring to is the one with the large bracket fungi fruiting from it. This brings up a major thought, am I going to seal a fungi into my tree with the foam? The wood was very soft and is now slowly hardening up with air flow and sun. At the same time it traps water and that then slowly drains out of the side of the tree a few feet lower on the trunk most likely creating a rotting drainage tunnel. So the question is to foam or not to foam.

See attached photos:

 

[Boa07]

My advice is do NOT fill the cavity.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Hollow Fill

My advice is do NOT fill the cavity.

Oh yeah? any specific reasons? I'm very interested in why, now what about the larger lower one that goes into the hollow? Best for air to keep itself moving in and out?

 

[treeseer]

Best for air to keep itself moving in and out?

Why ask when you knew the answer all the time?

 

[moss]

Why ask when you knew the answer all the time?

Yep, I just inspected a large vertical cavity about 30 feet up on a big old sugar maple, an arborist had filled it with a spray foam sealer a few years ago. The foam was detached and falling apart, the wood just rotted behind it.
-moss

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Why ask when you knew the answer all the time?

Because I need as many peoples opinions as possible, so thankyou

Yep, I just inspected a large vertical cavity about 30 feet up on a big old sugar maple, an arborist had filled it with a spray foam sealer a few years ago. The foam was detached and falling apart, the wood just rotted behind it.
-moss

Hmm, well if the cavity went directly up with a vertical opening (like a hollow, topped tree) then some GOOD foam would have been a good choice to seal off the top from rain soaking the inside of the tree, then again if its rotted and the trees cell wall is healthy the rain would help remove dead rotting wood and get to the clean cell wall IF the water had somewhere to go. Right?

 

[treeseer]

Right, arguments bot h ways, soooooooooooooo........

When in doubt, let Nature run its course.

First, do no harm.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

New Threat

Sooooo I have a new threat to my tree. It is now in the 20s outside and my leaking hole has got to be water because slime flux dose not freeze solid I don't think. The leakage has frozen solid worrying me that this will expend as ice inside the trunk and crack my trunk up. This is the first year the fungus was removed exposing the cavity witch fills with water and drains out of the side of the trunk so I don't know how it will respond to expansion. Hopefully there's enough room inside the tree for the water to expand and not crack anything.

 

[soggyboots]

These are good pics. As my ol man told me on some of our jobs, when you start hearing things happen you know your doing something right.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

As my ol man told me on some of our jobs, when you start hearing things happen you know your doing something right.

I'm not sure I follow you

 

[treeseer]

Nate, the tree has figured out how to handle freezing water; fear not.

and those symptoms do not look like any kind of slime flux infection to me (from here)

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Nate, the tree has figured out how to handle freezing water; fear not.

and those symptoms do not look like any kind of slime flux infection to me (from here)

Thank You

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

I just read that a major sign of girdling roots is the lack of flare at the base of the trunk. Now this tree... has a MAJOR lack of flare and as we all know was buried deeper 50 years ago. I wonder if there's an entire nasty girdling system underground killing off this giant... Either way I'll have someone in by Spring to do some major structural pruning to make this guy last a long long time. I have some offers for trade of a video commercial shoot for some bucket work. I FINALLY HAVE FUNDING'S! Well kinda

 

[treeseer]

major structural pruning to make this guy last a long long time.

Until roots are right, whacking branches won't save anything.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Until roots are right, whacking branches won't save anything.

But I'm told not to go any deeper so in other words between what they and you say this is just a ticking time bomb ready to die, helpless. While I got the buckets I'll be doing work on my bigger stronger taller healthier red maple.

 

[outonalimbts]

Stay away from the foam!

The foam will cause moisture to get trapped inside of the cavity, the bacteria that causes rot will thrive in a sealed environment, more likely to progress at a faster rate then if left open to air.

I agree I don't see any slime flux either. The crack should be looked at by a qualified arborist though. It looks to have rot in the space, it should be probed to find out how much is rotten.

Don't do any major pruning unless they are hazardous limbs- your mature tree shouldn't need much servicing any more, dead wood, broken limbs, perhaps some selective branches that are growing too close to your house- but other than that don't touch it.

Ciao